Staff Picks for August 2012
August 31, 2012
With razor-sharp production from David Bowie, former Stooges frontman Iggy Pop's second solo album remains the highlight of his solo offerings, blending lucid pop with gritty glam rock tendencies and Iggy's gift for lyrics falling in some magical ether between transcendent and idiotic.
August 30, 2012
The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band is a hillbilly country blues trio out of Indiana with a wonderfully ragged and swampy deep Delta sound that kicks like a mule, and the trio thankfully doesn't deviate from that core sound on Between the Ditches.
August 29, 2012
Easily the ex-Velvet Underground member's most lovingly detailed and accessible solo outing, Paris 1919 handles typical rock & roll subject matter like Shakespeare, Dylan Thomas, and Billy Wilder with bile, grace, and wit, and oddly enough, relies heavily on members of Little Feat.
August 28, 2012
On his first album since 1990, the French composer and producer (Gainsbourg, Fontaine, Hardy) used the same musicians who worked on his organic, groundbreaking 1970s recordings, creating a set that is provocative, bracing, and exciting.
August 27, 2012
One of the first post-minimalist pieces, The Time Curve Preludes by William Duckworth is among the most important (and appealing) large-scale piano works of the late 20th century. Warmly lyrical with seductive melodies and harmonies, the preludes are played with style and nuance by R. Andrew Lee.
August 26, 2012
Ween's blend of tuneful arrangements and freakish songwriting never got any better than on their nautical-prog masterpiece from 1997, highlighted by the smooth yacht rock of "Ocean Man" and a cuss-ridden Irish drinking song named "The Blarney Stone."
August 25, 2012
In the mid-‘90s, no album better exemplified the creativity and adventurousness of the New York City downtown jazz scene than this all-star outing by alto saxophonist/bass clarinetist Ned Rothenberg and his all-star nonet. By the way, many “downtown” jazzers lived in Brooklyn at the time.
August 24, 2012
Little Boots' debut album hits the sweet spot between dancefloor glitter and synth pop heartache, and songs like "Meddle" and "Earthquake" will have you dancing with tears in your eyes. Nice duet with the Human League's Philip Oakey too!
August 23, 2012
I'm relying on one of my favorite collections of pop to get me through summer: Action, a collection of Sweet's very best. That could be because the steel drums of "Poppa Joe" sound like a cool refreshing beach breeze to me.
August 22, 2012
One of the best songwriters of the early '70s, with an unassuming style that managed to sound like Fred Neil, J.J. Cale, Jim Croce, Randy Newman, Leonard Cohen, and early Tom Waits by turns, Jesse Winchester should be as well known and regarded as any of these. History intervened, however.
August 21, 2012
This October, One Little Indian will be releasing a long overdue A.R. Kane singles compilation. Until then, (re-)familiarize yourself with the dream pop duo's "underappreciated masterpiece" -- their glorious second album, issued on the Rough Trade label in 1989.
August 20, 2012
Philippe Herreweghe is not the first conductor one associates with Anton Bruckner, yet his 2006 rendition of the Symphony No. 4 in E flat major, “Romantic,” should lend him and the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées better name recognition among the composer's fans.
August 19, 2012
Run On's mix of experimental rock and sweet pop falls somewhere between Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo, and fans of either of those bands will probably hear a lot to like on Start Packing.
August 18, 2012
During breaks from drum duties with the Rolling Stones, Charlie Watts used his time wisely by forming a band that could provide an outlet for his deep knowledge and love of jazz, especially bop. Whether you're a jazz aficionado, a casual listener, or a Rolling Stones fan, upon hearing this set you'll find it obvious that Charlie Watts is truly in his element.
August 17, 2012
On the First Four EPs collection, punk legend Keith Morris and OFF! show more grit and intensity in 18 minutes than most of punk rock has in decades.
August 16, 2012
On their third and most underrated album, a vastly different Weather Report emerge on Sweetnighter. It's the hard-edged beginning of Joe Zawinul's developing obsession with groove that rules this mesmerizing album.
August 15, 2012
Often overlooked, 1985’s Astra is a solid arena-ready outing that builds upon Asia’s prog pop sound. Although Steve Howe had left the band, vocalist John Wetton sounds as robust as ever and Krokus guitarist Mandy Meyer adds some fiery metal-infused playing to the these driving, melodic rock anthems.
August 14, 2012
In 1983, Trevor Rabin kidnapped Yes and forced them into London's Sarm Studios to record songs that were only five minutes long. Pick up the sweet 2004 reissue and confound other drivers by cranking the a cappella version of "Leave It" at top volume through your huge tweeters.
August 13, 2012
The score of a thoroughly eccentric theater piece (check it out on YouTube) about the rout of the Spanish Armada, Shipwrecked brings together vocal and instrumental Renaissance music from Spanish, English, Irish, and Gaelic traditions in performances that are irresistibly exuberant and unabashedly quirky.
August 12, 2012
The most vital album that came from West London's broken beat scene, Creating Patterns is highlighted by the chamber folk-soul masterpiece "The Day of the Greys," which features the late Terry Callier. It's as moving as any other widescreen Callier song, from 1973's "Dancing Girl" to 1998's "Lazarus Man."
August 11, 2012
With songs about girls, girls...and, well, girls, Berkeley-based punk-popsters Sweet Baby offered a cuddly alternative to late-'80s California hardcore. Their lone commercial album, It's a Girl, crams more gleeful energy and bubblegum hooks into 25 minutes than most albums twice as long could ever hope to.
August 9, 2012
Nico's presence was never particularly warm, but The Marble Index presented a soul that was completely frozen. This bleak second solo effort from 1969 featured spare orchestration of harmonium and meticulously placed strings acting as a haven for Nico's haunted, loveless vocals to rain over in a deceptively stoic deadpan.
August 8, 2012
Walkin' in the Shadows of Life finds the Neville Brothers reaching back into their distant past to extend a universal message of peace and hope while developing this fully realized album in the process.
August 7, 2012
The second of two albums Johnny "Hammond" Smith cut with genius brothers Fonce and Larry Mizell -- and the organist's first set for Milestone -- Gears is a phenomenal synthesis of jazz, funk, and soul. Two of its songs became disco-era club classics. The whole thing is ideal for summertime, windows-down listening.
August 5, 2012
Frank Black's first post-Pixies album mixes nods to new wave (years before it became trendy to do so) with tributes to his heroes (Iggy Pop, the Ramones, and the Beach Boys).
August 4, 2012
Brooklyn's most engaging rock experimenters took listeners on a wild ride with the sprawling The Wedding, offering an eccentric blend of baroque strings, metal riffs, Krautrock vibes, and raga grooves.
August 3, 2012
The Orrall brothers make the jump to the major labels on their seventh album, Hypnotic Nights. With its heavy guitars and sugary power pop melodies, the album is certain to evoke memories of early Weezer, the Rentals, and lazy summer days.
August 2, 2012
The Tokens' It's a Happening World, released in 1967, is full of interesting psychedelic and baroque touches that make it sound at times like the Beach Boys circa Pet Sounds, or the Beatles just before they stepped off into Pepperland.
